Gas and like meter



F. AND H. T. THORP.

I GAS AND LH (E METER.

APPLICATION FILJED JUNE 11. 1910.

Patented Aug. 1, 1922.

4 SHEETSSHEET I.

F. AND H. T. THORP.

GAS AND LIKE METER.

APPLICATION man JUNE n. 1913.

LQQ LQQUG Patented Aug. 1, 1922.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WWW

F. AND H. T. THORP.

GAS AND LIKE METER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE H. 1918.

Patented Aug. L 1922,

4 SHEETSSHEET 3.

F. 771/077 HI 770017 ammmws aw /f/P AF WWNEV F. AND H. T. THORP.

GAS AND LIKE METER.

j APPLICATION FILED JUNE H. 1918- I A QE Patented Aug. 1, 1922.

4 EETSSHEET 4 mvmmws m 251%? mmmm FRANKLIN THOR/BAND HAhVEY THOMAS THOR/P, 0F WHITEFIELD, ENGLAND.

GAS AND LIKE iaeaeso.

Application filed June 11,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, linANKLIN T ORP, o'f'Grasniere, YVhitefield, Lancashi're, England, and Ha nvsr 'liaoiras Tr ronr, of itavensworth, Whitefield, Lancashire, England, subjects of the King or Great Britain and Ireland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements Gas and like Meters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to meters of the tan or rotor type,,and has for its object to provide simple and eihcient means for preventing the how ogt' gas iro ugh the meter when the rate of flow falls below a predetermined niinimu i which is the limit of the accurate registra-ion the meter of the volume of gas passing tl erethrough. i

Our invention comprisesthe provision in the gasway or passage through the meter, of a disc-like part so c'oin iected' with a meter control valve that when the flow or gas through said passage falls below a predetel-mined minimum, the said disc descends and causes the closing of the valve to cutoff "the gas supply, whilst when the rate of flow exceeds the minimum the said disc is raised and .holds the control valve open or allows it to remain open.

Our invention further comprises the arrangement whereby the said disc also forms the control valve and is con nected with a diaphragm by a ste n forniing a' communicating passage between'the' inlet side of the valve and the outerside of the diaphragm for the purpose hereinafter described.

Referring to the fouraccom'panying sheets of explanatory drawings Figure 1 1s a sectional. elevation through a rotary nieter showing one convenient method of applying our invention thereto. Certain parts of the metering mechan sm are omitted.

Figures 2, 4t, 5 and 6 illustrate portions of meters suliicient to show modified ways of applying the invention.

Figure 3 is a separate view illustrating a convenient mechanism'for the initial opening of the gas control valve of the meter.

The same reference letters in thedif ferent views indicate the same or similar parts.

In the application of our invention illustrated at Figure 1, we arrange a disc-lilre element a to be capable of free movement axially withina passage formed by the ring I) through'which the jgas to be measured by Epeciiication of Letters II-atent.

Patented An 1, 1922.

1918. Serial No. 239,417.

,will register satisfactorily, the disc is sup ported independently of the ring 6 by the gas flow. Ii the rate oi flow falls below the minimum, the gas is unable to support the disc and the latter drops on to the ring I). The said disc a is connected to the spindle c of an equilibrium valve comprising two discs cZ serving as a gas control valve for the meter; The parts aforesaid are so disposed that when the flow oi gas through the meter is at or above the predetermined minimum rate for that meter, the disc at is raised or sustained as aforesaid and holds the'equilibriurn valve clopen, but when the rate of flow falls below the minimum, the disc ceases to be sustained and allows or causes the closing of the control valve rZ.

The initial opening of the valve d is efi'ecjted by externally operated means; In the example, the ratchet wheel e is operated from outside the meter casing and depresses a spring pressed element f When the latter released bythe projection 5 rigid with the ratchet wheel, it rises rapidly and opens theralve (5 with a trigger lilre action. The disc a thenniaintains the valve open if the flow of gas is at or abovethe minimum, otherwise the disc and valve return to their out-of-service positions.

In operation fluid flows into the casing a through the inlet a and. when the valves d and a are opened, it passes upwardly as shown by the arrows into the upper portion of the chamber a Then it flows through an opening a into thechamber a". From the chamber a the fluid flows downwardly through apertures a into a-rotor casingja each of such examples, the valve (Z is connected to the disc a by means oi a lever 'or levers k and the valve 03 tends to close under the pressure of the gas in the gas main at theinlet'side' of' the meter. a i

In theconstructlons shown in Figures 2 and {i the gas enters through an inlet 5-, and

when the disk at and valve (Z are opened, the gas passes upwardly from the chamber 5- into the chamber 21 From thelatter chamber the gas flows through tubes 6* which directs the same onto the vanes of the .rotor n. After leaving the rotor the gas passes into a chamber 6 and from this chamber is discharged through the outlet. b.

If the valve of be adaptedto open with ,the pressure of the gas, instead of against it as in the Figures 2 and 4: examples, we may employ a double arched spring such as is illustrated at 11in Figure 5 so that resistance offered to the initial movement of the valve. With this arrangement, therisk of' opening of the valve, due to the ordinary gas mains pressure, is m nimized, whilst we do inot cause the imposition of aconsiderable v. back pressure upon the gas when thevalve ,is open, such as would be the case the valve were loaded with an ordinary spring or weight,

, v 1 In the Figure 5 arrangement, the disco also forms the meter control'valve and is combined with the spring arrangement aforesaid to prevent opening otthe valve under the gas mains pressure. In the embodiment lllustrated 1n Figure 15 the fluid entersthrough an i nlet c. and flows downwardly .intoa chamber 0 and ,r-vwhen'the valve a is opened,-the fluid passes upwardly throughthetubesc which directs the same onto the vanes of the -tan wheel.

The fan wheel is notshown-in this figure. The fluid passes outwardly through an outlet i 0 We may, if desired, connect a plate-like part is with the disc a aforesaid (as shown in Figures 2, 4: and which serves when the control valve is opened, to release a brake m which is employed to prevent overrunning of the rotor n of the meter, and when the control valve is closed, to allow of the said brake engaging the rotor 5, in the Figure l' arrangement, the brake m itself is directly connected to the disck a; The

rotor nindicated diagrammatically in the drawings is of the well known fan type enr ployed in rotary meter-sand operates in the usual manner therein. a V

In all cases, the control valve (Z (or a,

' Fig, 5) is opened when gitis desired to pass gas therethrough by trigger or like mecha nism on the, exterior of the meter, or by mechanism Within the meter itself, but we do not Vl1m1t ourselves to any particular mechanism for this'purpose, The opening oi the said valve raises the disc which is thensupported by the gas flowing past it unless the rate of flow is'lessthan the predetermined minimum when the disc will fall and the valve will close.

1 Insome cases, as in Figure 6, we; may

"raised; unless the said velocity falls below the predetermined minimum, when the disc falls and the'p'ressure on the outer side or the diaphragm holds the disc closed upon its seat. The valve'a is opened by externally operated means (not shown) as in the 7 previous arrangement. a l In the modification illustrated in Figure 6, the fluid enters the casing through an inlet d and then'flows through the tubes d onto the, vanes of the rotor'lt and into a chamber 6Z When the valve a is open, the

fluidp'asses through the opening normally closedby the valve and passesout of the V i We may vary the details of the meohacasing through an outlet b nismbefore described, to suit any particular requirements s Having now described our invention what we claimas new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In gas and'like meters ofthe type described, the combination with a rotor forming part of the measuring mechanism, of means for automatically cutting ofl the flow of fluid to the rotor when the r'ateof flow falls below a predetermined minimum,consisting in part of an element which issustained by the fluid flowing past the element and to the rotor when the rate of flow is equal to or'abovethe said minimum, a support onto which said element descends when the rate of flow falls below the said minimum, and means having a control element on the exterior of the meter for rais mg the element from said support to permit the resumptionoffiow of the fluid.

In gasandlikemeters of the type described, the combinatioii with the rotor forming part of the measuring mechanism,

of an element which is sustained by the flow of fluid'to the rotor when the rate of flow is equal to or above a predetermined minimum, a" support on towh ich the said ele mentseats when therate'. of flow fallsbe low the said minimum a valve movable with said element for cutting off the supply of fluidon the seating of the said element,

and means operating independent of" the fluid pressure for opening said valve.

iaeasao 3. In gas and like meters of the type de scribed, the combination with the rotor forming part of the measuring mechanism of an element which is sustained by the flow of fluid to the rotor when the rate of flow is equal to or above a predetermined mini mum, a support on to which the said ele-' 4. In gas and like meters of the type described, the combination with the rotor forming part of the measuring mechanism, of an element which is sustained by the flow of fluid to the rotor when the rate of flow is equal to or above a predetermined minimum, a support on to which the said element descends when the rate of flow falls below the said minimum, a control valve connected with the said element, and means for efiecting an initial opening of the said valve, as set forth.

5. In gas and like meters of the type described, the combination with the rotor forming part of the measuring mechanism, of an element which is sustained by the flow of fluid to the rotor when the rate of How is equal to or above a predetermined minimum, and a control valve and a rotor brake, both of which are connected to the said element, as set forth.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification.

Witnesses ARTHUR HUGHEs, HILDA Huenns. 

